Kelsey Lu is a North Carolina native who was raised in a strict Jehovah’s Witness household, and used music as a liter escape from the stifling religious atmosphere of her childhood. Née Kelsey Elizabeth McJunkins, she began studying music secretly in college, before her parent’s discover of these musical pursuits ruptured their tenuous relationship.

Undeterred, Lu stripped her way through college to make ends meet, and became a classically-trained cellist. She now lives in New York and has collaborated with the likes of Blood Orange, Empress Of, and Chairlift. Lu uses live recorded instrumental and vocal loops to construct prismatic, mesmerizing melodies, like the one below for “Morning After Coffee.” Lu dances and moves through the wilderness with an air of freedom that’s matched only by the limitless music accompanying it. Expect big things from Lu in the near future, and watch the new Leslie Satterfield-directed video below.